ViewGuide

Created Dec 11, 2011 10:11AM PST • Edited Dec 11, 2011 11:02AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   Bette Davis and Joan Crawford work collaboratively to create a brilliant film in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, a harrowing look at sibling rivalry between two aging actresses.

   Bette plays “Baby Jane” Hudson, a former precocious child star, now living with her sister Blanche, a former movie actress who was forced to retire after becoming crippled in a car accident. Both characters, having acheived success 40 and 30 years ago respectively, now are largely forgetten by the public, and live in a dilapidated mansion, where Jane takes care of her wheelchair bound sister.

   Jane is resentful of her sister’s success, and clings to dreams of glory, hoping to revive her antiquated vaudeville career. She dresses as a little girl, sings the same old show tunes, and drowns her sorrows in liquor, while unleashing mental and physical cruelty on her sister Blanche. As Jane slips deeper and deeper into psychosis, her character becomes truly frightening. Many similarities in this film with the masterpiece Misery.

   The fact that both Davis and Crawford were real-life rivals, with many stories of personal attacks on each other, makes this film all the more intriguing. When we see Jane mocking her sister, we almost feel the animosity between the real-life stars.

   A well-done film that is definitely worth seeing.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

5. Male Stars OK 2.5

   The only male star of note is Victor Buono, who plays Edwon Flagg, a bumbling middle-aged pianist, who is hired by Jane. Buono plays the inept Edwin adequately, creating a harmless, yet unflattering dweeb of a character, who is thrust into the quagmire of the Hudson home.

6. Female Stars Perfect 5.0

   Davis and Crawford sizzle, creating the perfect amount of angst, and offsetting each other perfectly.

7. Female Costars Good 3.0

   Maidie Norman does a fine job as the housekeeper, Elvira Stitt.

8. Male Costars OK 2.5

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

11. Direction Really Great 4.5

    One can only imagine the effort needed to keep both real-life divas from hurting each other. Director Robert Aldrich manages this task, while creating an Oscar-winning film.

12. Play Good 3.0

13. Music Very Good 3.5

    The childhood songs that Baby Jane sings become increasing haunting and creepy as she tries to sing them again while longing for her old glory days.

14. Visuals Great 4.0

    The old mansion becomes important in the film, creating boundaries that make Blanche’s sense of hopelessness more acute.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.4

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Fierce 1.8

    Nothing as bad as contemporary films, but there are some images that are disturbing, especially to pet lovers.

19. Rudeness Polite 1.3

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

    The fact that the real-life actresses hated each other so much makes this film feel authentic.

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0